Upside Down
by ggfan10
Summary: Ryan and Taylor are leading a fairly normal life in Berkley with their young daughter and are very happy. What will happen when Marissa returns and turns their world completely Upside Down?
1. The Reappearance

Hi everyone, this is my new story!

This is the basic plot:

At the end of the Third Season of the OC, Marissa didn't actually die. She faked her own death so she could have a new start, and went to live with her Dad, Jimmy. Marissa worked on boats with her father for a few years in the Greek Islands, going by the name Melissa Cooper, and saying she was Jimmy's niece. They then both moved to Hawaii 5 years ago.

Season 4 is the same for Ryan and Taylor. As said in the series finale, they both went to different colleges, but got back together after college, got married and had their 8 month old daughter, Emily. They now live in Berkley, along with Sandy, Kirsten, Sophie, Seth, Summer, Seth and Summer's 2 year-old daughter Lucy, Kaitlin, Julie, Frank and Julie and Frank's son Sam.

Marissa has just moved to Berkley, not knowing that everyone from Newport had moved here. She's about to turn everyone's world upside down.

_

* * *

__Ryan and Taylor's House - Saturday - 10am_

"Good Morning," Taylor greeted her husband with a smile, as she entered the kitchen carrying their daughter Emily.

Ryan smiled, "Morning." He kissed Taylor, then took Emily from her arms and gave her a hug. "Good Morning my little Princess."

_Aw, _Taylor thought to herself with a smile. Ryan was a natural with Emily. He always knew exactly what to do, even when Taylor didn't and Emily really loved him.

"So, what are we going to do today?" Taylor asked, leaning against the kitchen bench.

"Well, Emily and I were going to go to the mall, on a secret mission," he replied with a smile.

Taylor returned the smile, "And what mission would that be exactly?" she questioned, already knowing it was her birthday present, considering her birthday was in 2 weeks.

"Sorry, I can't tell you," Ryan replied, "it's a secret."

"So you're not going shopping for my birthday present?" Taylor asked.

"Maybe," he said. "You'll just have to wait and see."

"Okay," she replied with a smile. "Well if you two are going to go to the mall, I might just hang around at home and relax."

"Relax? You?" Ryan teased.

"I know it may seem impossible, but I am capable of relaxing when I put my mind to it," Taylor said with a nod.

"Well try to relax a little. We're gonna go," Ryan announced, grabbing his keys from the kitchen bench. "We'll be home in an hour or two."

"Okay," Taylor smiled as she kissed her husband and daughter goodbye. "Have fun. I love you."

"I love you too," Ryan replied. He then picked up one of Emily's tiny hands and waved at Taylor than said in a baby-like voice, "Bye Mommy."

"Bye, baby," Taylor grinned at Emily, giving her yet another kiss. She then looked at Ryan, "Now go, or you'll never get out of here."

"Okay, bye," he called out as he and Emily left the kitchen.

"Remember to take a jacket for Emily!" Taylor called out after him.

"Got it!" Ryan yelled back. "Bye!" Taylor then heard the front door close.

_

* * *

__Berkley - Marissa's Apartment_

Marissa (or Melissa which is the name she now goes by) looked around her new apartment. She had finally gotten everything the way she wanted it. Marissa was excited, she had a new apartment, a new job waiting for her at an exclusive restaurant as one of the assistant chefs starting on Monday and most importantly, she had a new life, free from the dramas of Newport Beach which had consumed her life about 10 years before.

It had been hard to leave her Dad in Hawaii after she had received the job offer at the restaurant, but Marissa knew she had to do it. She couldn't just hide out on a tropical island for the rest of her life, living in a beach front cabin and striking up romances with hot tourists every other week, she had to do something with her life, and this was where she was going to start.

Marissa sat down on the living room lounge with a contented sigh. She looked around and smiled. Suddenly, Marissa heard her cellphone ring from the coffee table in front of her. She picked it up and checked the caller i.d, it was of course, her father.

Marissa smiled as she answered the phone, "Dad, hey!"

"Marissa!" her father's voice came from the other end of the phone line. "How are you?"

"I'm great actually," she replied. "Better than I thought I'd be, how are you?"

"I'm fine," Jimmy said, "I'm missing you like crazy though, and you've only been gone a week."

"Aw, I miss you too Dad," Marissa replied, feeling slightly guilty. "I wish you could have moved to Berkley with me."

"I know, me too babe, but I have my job and commitments here," he told his daughter. "You have to come back and visit me soon."

"Or you can come here," she suggested. "You can see my new apartment, come for dinner at the restaurant, and we can just hang out like we did in Hawaii."

"Of course," Jimmy agreed. "So what are you planning to do today?"

"Just a little shopping to buy some last little things for the house," Marissa replied. "Nothing too exciting."

"Well have fun, okay, I have to go," he said. "I've got to be at work soon."

"Okay Dad," she smiled. "I love you."

"I love you too Ris," Jimmy replied, also smiling. "I'll see you."

"Yeah, bye," Marissa hesitantly hung up the phone. She really missed her dad. Everytime he called, Marissa had to resist the urge to jump on the next plane to Hawaii to go see him.

_Maybe shopping will take my mind off things, _she thought to herself, grabbing her handbag. Marissa then grabbed her jacket and left the apartment.

* * *

_The Mall_

"So what are we going to buy Mommy Em?" Ryan asked his daughter as they walked through the busy jewellery store. He didn't actually expect an answer, but still talked to her anyway. Ryan had a lot of one-sided conversations with Emily, but really hoped that they'd soon become two-sided conversations, it would be a lot more interesting.

_If she's anything like Taylor, that shouldn't be a problem at all, _Ryan thought to himself as he examined the many earrings, bracelets, necklaces and more in the glass cases located around the store.

"Can I help you Sir?" a sales assistant asked from behind the counter.

"Uh, yeah," Ryan replied. "I'm looking for a birthday present for my wife..."

"And you need advice on what to get her?" the woman smiled.

"Pretty much," he nodded. "Can you help?" he asked desperately.

"Of course," she replied. "We have some lovely earrings over here that I'm sure your wife will love..."

As Marissa walked passed the window of the jewellery store, a pair of earrings caught her eye. She walked over to look at them more closely. They didn't have a price on them, so Marissa decided to go in and ask. She walked into the store, and stood in front of the counter, waiting for service.

A little further down the counter, Ryan and the sales assistant were still looking at jewellery and Ryan had come across a gold necklace he thought Taylor would like.

"So, do you think she'd like it?" Ryan asked the woman.

"Well, I like it," she replied. "But it's completely up to you." The woman then realised Marissa standing a few feet away at the counter and said to Ryan, "Why don't we get another opinion? Excuse me Miss?"

Marissa looked up at the sales assistant, just as Ryan turned around.

As soon as he saw Marissa, Ryan's face turned a shade of white, "Marissa..."

"Oh my God!" she exclaimed, panicking and fleeing the store.

As shocked as Ryan was to see Marissa, he ran out of the store and ran after her as fast as he could while holding a baby.

Ryan continued chasing after her, receiving many strange looks as he and Marissa ran throught the crowds of people.

Suddenly, Marissa came to the end of the mall, a dead end, "Oh no," she muttered.

Ryan caught up with her a few seconds later. He stopped at least 5 feet away from Marissa, and approached her cautiously, as if she'd disappear if he approached her too quickly.

Once Ryan was right in front of Marissa she said quietly, "Ryan."

He examined her carefully, not completely believing it was Marissa standing in front of him, his ex-girlfriend that he thought had died in a fatal car accident almost 10 years ago. She certainly looked like Ryan remembered, just a little more matured in the face and with darker hair. "Is-is that you Marissa?

* * *

**Tell me what you think of this chapter and if I should continue on with this story or not. thanks**


	2. The Discussions

**Here's the next chapter. I noticed when I wrote this chapter that Ryan's reaction wasn't very dramatic so I'm thinking of re-writing this chapter. Review and tell me what you think please!**

* * *

"You faked your own death?" Ryan questioned his former girlfriend, from across the table. After their run through the mall Marissa had suggested that they go somewhere to talk, and they ended up at a cafe inside the mall. 

"Yeah..." Marissa replied hesitantly, curiously eyeing the baby sitting on Ryan's lap. _Could she be Ryan's daughter? _Marissa wondered, _She does look like him._

"I don't believe this," Ryan muttered, with a sigh. "Just tell me something, are you insane?"

"What?" she asked, surprised. "Ryan I-"

"Are you completely mad!" he exclaimed. "Do you have any idea what I went through 10 years ago? Or what your Mom went through? Or Kaitlin? Or Summer? Or the Cohens?"

"I know, and I'm sorry," she replied.

"No you're not," Ryan said coldly. "Because nothing will ever change with you, you never think about other peoples' feelings, its always you, you, you! As long as you're happy, nothing else matters." At this moment, Emily began to cry, shocked by her father's sudden outburst. Ryan quickly turned his daughter around so she was facing him and rubbed her back, in attempt to soothe her, "It's okay Em, you're okay," he muttered to her quietly, still not believing he had actually said all those things to Marissa.

Marissa was shocked. She didn't think she'd ever heard Ryan say so many words at once, but she knew that he was right. "You are completely right," Marissa exclaimed. "I'm a selfish bitch!" She suddenly remembered Emily was listening and added, "See? I just swore in front of a baby!"

Ryan felt really guilty that he's said all those things to Marissa and replied, "No, no you're not selfish. I'm sorry I said that, it just came out."

"Because that's how you're really feeling," Marissa said softly. "Which is totally understandable, considering what I put you through."

"I'm still really shocked that you're even alive," he commented. "I thought I was never going to see you again, and here you are."

She nodded, "Yeah, unintentionally."

Ryan really didn't know how to reply to that, and simply nodded and continued to rub Emily's back as she began to calm down.

Ryan and Marissa sat in silence for a moment. As Marissa watched Ryan carefully soothing the baby, she couldn't help but smile, "She's beautiful," she commented. "What's her name?"

He looked up at Marissa, slightly shocked at how casual she was acting, considering the situation they were in, "This is Emily."

"She's your daughter right?" she asked. Ryan nodded. "She looks like you," Marissa said.

Ryan looked down at Emily and smiled, "Yeah, most people say that."

"Although, I can't really judge because I haven't seen her mother," she added.

"Uh," Ryan started, "Actually, you have."

"I have?" Marissa questioned in a surprised tone. _Who could Ryan have married that I've met before? _"Who is it?"

"Uh, it's Taylor," he replied, hesitantly.

"Taylor?" she repeated. "Wait a minute, Taylor as in Taylor Townsend? That Taylor?" Ryan nodded. "You married Taylor? How did that happen?"

"Uh, well it's a long story," Ryan responded. "We started spending time together and...it just happened I guess."

"I thought you hated Taylor," Marissa remarked, still very confused about the whole situation.

"No, I never hated her," he replied, "I just didn't know her that well, but when I did get to know her, she was a really amazing person."

Marissa nodded as she felt a wave of jealousy go through her, hearing Ryan speak of another woman like that, "That is so...weird, no offense. What else has happened over the last 10 years? How's Summer? And Seth?"

"They got married," Ryan started, "they have a 2 year old daughter, Lucy and Summer's having another baby in about 6 months."

"Aw, really?" Marissa smiled. "I'm so happy for them. They finally ended up together and happy with no drama."

"Well, I wouldn't say no drama," he replied. "I mean, it's Seth and Summer we're talking about, there's always gonna be drama."

"Right," she nodded.

Marissa and Ryan shared a smile before he spoke up, "I really don't believe that you're alive and sitting in front of me, after all this time."

"I'm really sorry Ryan," Marissa said, "for everything."

He just nodded in reply. Suddenly, something hit him, "Marissa, you have to tell everyone you're alive."

"What? No, no I can't," she argued.

"Do you really expect me to keep this a secret from everyone forever?" Ryan questioned.

"No, I can't ask you to do that," Marissa replied with a sigh. "I'm going to have to tell everyone."

"How are you going to do it?"

She thought for a moment, "I think I have an idea, but I'm gonna need your help."

* * *

_Ryan and Taylor's House - Front Yard_

1 hour later, Marissa and Ryan had decided how they were going to tell everyone she was alive, and they were now standing in the driveway of Ryan and Taylor's house, ready to inform Taylor first.

"So, Emily and I will go in first and I'll tell Taylor about everything and you wait outside at the front door," Ryan explained to Marissa. "Then, after I tell her, I'll let you in, okay?"

"Remind me again, why are we telling Taylor first?" Marissa asked.

"Because we're gonna need her help," he replied. Marissa looked at him skeptically. Ryan sighed and added, "And because she'll suspect that something's going on, and probably find out anyway."

"Somehow, I don't think she's gonna be all that thrilled to see me," she stated. "I'd be pretty annoyed if my husband's ex-girlfriend who's supposed to be dead, suddenly showed up and said that she faked her own death."

"Which is why I'm going to tell her first," Ryan nodded, kneeling on the seat of his car and taking Emily out of her carseat. He then closed the car door, and started walking up to the front door.

Marissa followed hesitantly, but stopped at the front door, as Ryan went inside. It took everything in her not to run away at that moment. To just leave and forget she had ever seen Ryan Atwood again, but she couldn't. _I've hurt Ryan so many time before, _Marissa thought to herself, _I'm not going to do it again._

* * *

"Taylor," Ryan called out as he walked up the hallway and into the living room. 

She looked up from the magazine she was reading on the lounge and smiled, "Hey, I missed you two. It is way too quiet in this house by myself." Taylor stood up from the lounge and gave Ryan a quick kiss.

"Uh, honey I need to talk to you about something," he announced, setting Emily down in her playpen.

"Is something wrong?" Taylor questioned with a worried expression on her face.

"Um, maybe you should sit back down," Ryan replied, taking a seat on the lounge and gesturing for her to follow.

As Taylor sat down she asked, "Ryan what's going on?"

"Okay," he stated. "I'm going to just tell you this straight out. Marissa's alive."

Taylor was silent for a moment before replying softly, "Sweetie, Marissa died almost 10 years ago now."

"We thought she did," Ryan corrected her, "she really faked her own death and has been living in Hawaii with her Dad all this time."

Taylor just looked at her husband like he was crazy, "Ryan, are you feeling okay?"

He sighed, knowing she would never believe him unless she saw Marissa with her own eyes. "Just wait here for a minute," Ryan told her, getting up off the lounge and leaving the room.

"Ryan?" Taylor called out, standing up from the lounge. "This is crazy, what are you doing?" She was immediately silenced when he and Marissa walked into the room. Taylor's mouth dropped open in shock. "Oh my God."

Marissa forced a smile, even though she really wanted to slap Taylor at that moment. _How dare she take Ryan? _Marissa tried to push all her hate towards Taylor aside and said quietly, "Hey."

Taylor was still in too much shock to reply. _Oh my God, _she thought to herself, _this is it, my marriage is over. Now that Marissa's alive and well and standing in front of me, Ryan's gonna go running back to her. _Taylor gripped onto the arm of the lounge to steady herself, feeling a little light-headed all of a sudden. "Oh my God," she mumbled again.

"You okay?" Ryan asked.

"Oh, I'm just peachy," she replied, sarcastically. "How can you be okay with this? Your ex-girlfriend who's meant to be dead, has just shown up out of the blue and said 'Oh you know what, I was never really dead, sorry'."

"I didn't just show up 'out of the blue' Taylor," Marissa argued. "We ran into each other at the Mall. I never actually intended to see Ryan ever again."

"So you were just going to let him suffer for the rest of his life?" she questioned. "Along with everyone else, including Julie, Kaitlin and Summer?"

"One of the reasons that I did this was so everyone could move on with their lives," Marissa explained. "And it seems like everyone has."

"Look Tay," Ryan spoke up. "I know Marissa made a mistake, but now she wants to fix it, and she's going to need our help to do it."

Taylor looked at him in disbelief, "You want me, to help her?" She gestured over at Marissa.

"Please?" he begged. "Think about Summer, Julie, Kaitlin and the Cohens. They deserve to know."

She sighed and gave in, "What do you need me to do?"

* * *

**As I said before, please review and tell me what you think**


	3. The Shock of Their Lives

**Here's the next chapter! Once again, I'm sorry for the long time I took to update. Please review! So far everyone has been reviewing a lot so keep it up!**

* * *

_This is awkward, _Ryan thought to himself as he sat on the lounge across from Marissa and Taylor, who sat on the other lounge. They both looked very uncomfortable and as Ryan had put it, awkward. 

After a few minutes of silence, Marissa spoke, "So, when did everyone say they'd be coming?"

Ryan didn't answer at first, expecting Taylor to answer. He then realized that she wasn't going to and answered Marissa, "They should be here any minute now."

She nodded in reply, smiling at Ryan.

Taylor rolled her eyes, _She's flirting with him! I don't believe this!_

To avoid any further awkwardness, Ryan stood up and walked over to the window to see if anyone had arrived. A few cars passed by, but none of them stopped at Ryan and Taylor's house.

When Ryan's back was turned, Taylor began playing with her wedding ring on her finger, making sure Marissa saw exactly what it was.

It was now Marissa's turn to roll her eyes, _She's got to be kidding._

When Ryan turned back to the two women, they both smiled at him innocently.

"Is everything okay?" he questioned.

Taylor and Marissa both nodded and replied in unison, "Fine."

Ryan nodded, "Okay." This was way too weird for him, having his wife and ex-girlfriend in the same room. Ryan needed to get out of here, "I'm gonna go upstairs and check on Emily."

Taylor stood up abruptly and smiled, "I'll come with you." She then turned back to Marissa and with a fake smile said to her, "Make yourself at home."

Marissa nodded with a forced smile as Taylor and Ryan left the room.

* * *

As soon as they were upstairs, Taylor exclaimed to Ryan, "How can you be okay with this? Don't you feel any sort of anger towards Marissa for hurting you like she did?" 

"Of course I do," he nodded as they made their way down the hallway. "I must have thought a thousand times what I would say to Marissa if I saw her again, but when she was actually sitting there in front of me, I just...couldn't."

Taylor just sighed as they approached Emily's bedroom door. She looked into the room and saw her daughter sleeping peacefully, then turned back to Ryan, "How are we going to tell everyone about this? How are Summer and Julie going to react? I know Summer will probably have a rage black out, but who knows what Julie's gonna do? Or Kaitlin for that matter-"

"Taylor, what's really worrying you?" Ryan asked, interupting his wife's rambling. She just shrugged helplessly. "If you're worried about Marissa coming between us, you don't have to be. I'm married to you and I love you, and nothing's going to change that."

Ryan knew Taylor too well, there was nothing she could hide from him. "Promise?" she asked with a sigh.

"I promise," Ryan replied, pulling Taylor into a hug.

Taylor smiled as she hugged him, but deep down she was still worried.

* * *

"I wonder what Ryan and Taylor want to talk to us about," Julie said to Frank and Kaitlin as they got out of their car, parked in front of Ryan and Taylor's house. Julie and Frank's son, Sam was currently sleeping over a friend's house, so he wasn't there, and Julie and Frank had picked up Kaitlin from her apartment on the way. 

"Oh my God, do you think Taylor's pregnant?" Kaitlin exclaimed.

"Oh, maybe," Julie replied, nodding. "It is possible, Emily's getting older, Taylor and Ryan probably want to have another baby close in age."

"But Taylor didn't sound very happy on the phone," Frank commented.

"I hope it's nothing bad," Julie replied worriedly. "Do you think they're getting a divorce?"

"No, they always seem so happy together," Kaitlin said as the 3 of them made their way up the driveway.

"Why don't we stop guessing and just wait until they tell us?" Frank suggested.

"You're right," Julie nodded as they approached the front door, "we shouldn't jump to any conclusions." She then pressed the doorbell and waited patiently for someone to answer the door.

* * *

When Marissa heard the doorbell, she panicked. She ran to the front door and cautiously peeked out of the window. _Oh my God, it's Mom and Kaitlin, _Marissa thought, _Who's that guy with them?_ Marissa didn't know what to do, she didn't want to call out to Ryan and Taylor incase her mother and sister heard. 

"Taylor? Ryan?" Marissa heard Julie call out, ringing the door bell again.

"Hello!" Kaitlin yelled.

Ryan and Taylor finally heard the door and came running down the stairs.

They were a bit too late though, just as they reached the bottom of the stairs, the front door opened. Ryan had obviously forgotten to lock it before. Marissa started to run away, but Kaitlin, Julie and Frank had already seen her.

Kaitlin's mouth dropped open in shock, "Oh my God, Marissa?"

Julie just stared at her supposedly dead daughter for a moment before fainting, luckily being caught by Frank.

Kaitlin turned her attention to Ryan and Taylor, "What the hell is going on?"

At that moment, Seth, Summer and their daughter Lucy, as well as Kirsten, Sandy and Sophie arrived at the front door.

Seth, Summer, Kirsten and Sandy's facial expressions all matched Kaitlin's as they saw Marissa.

"Coop?!" Summer exclaimed.

"Um, okay," Ryan began, "I can explain."

"It's ok Ryan," Marissa interupted, "I should do this."

* * *

"Oh my God Coop! You have no idea how much I've missed you!" Summer exclaimed for the hundredth time, as she hugged her friend tightly. 

"I know Sum," Marissa laughed, "but I kind of need to breathe."

"Oh sorry," she replied, letting go of her.

"Marissa, why did you think we'd all be better off without you?" Kirsten questioned from her spot on the lounge beside Summer and Marissa.

"It-it was the only way for everyone to move on with their lives," she explained, with a quick glance at Ryan, who was standing beside the lounge with Taylor, Sandy and Seth. Sophie and Lucy were in another room playing. "I just wanted everyone to be happy and if I was here, that wasn't going to happen."

"Oh Sweetie, why on Earth would you think that?" Kirsten commented. "We've all missed you so much."

"Thanks Kirsten," Marissa smiled.

"Uh, how's Julie doing?" Ryan asked his father and Kaitlin, who were standing near the other lounge that Julie was lying on, still passed out.

"She's still unconscious," Frank replied, looking down at his wife.

"But she should be fine," Kaitlin added. "I think it was just the shock of it all that made her faint." Although she didn't show it, Kaitlin was angry at her sister. _How could Marissa do this?_ she thought to herself. _While she was living it up in Hawaii, we were all in Newport mourning her death! Why didn't anyone see that Marissa had done something wrong? _Kaitlin already knew the answer to this question, in fact she had known for a while, _Because Marissa is the perfect child who could do no wrong in the eyes of- well everyone, _she thought to herself.

"Okay Ris, you have to fill me in on everything that's happened to you over the last 10 years," Summer told her friend excitedly. "Every job you've had, every hot guy you've hooked up with, everything!"

"What about you? You have a little girl, and you're having another baby!" Marissa exclaimed. "I've missed so much."

"Well, I will happily fill you in on everything," she grinned, before pulling her into another hug. "I'm so glad you're home."

"It's good to be home," she smiled.

Taylor was furious. She couldn't believe that everyone was welcoming Marissa back with open arms after what she did. Taylor had gotten worse treatment for simply getting Marissa and Ryan kicked out of Harbor when they were teenagers.

Suddenly, Julie began to regain consciousness. She opened her eyes and sat up on the lounge.

"Mom," Kaitlin said, relief apparent in her voice, "you're awake."

Julie however, didn't seem to be listening to her youngest daughter and was staring at her eldest in disbelief, with tears coming into her eyes. "Marissa," she breathed softly.

Marissa smiled sadly at her mother, tears coming into her eyes also. All this time away from Julie had made Marissa realize how much she actually did love her, after believing throughout her teenage years that she hated her. Marissa simply stood up and walked over to the lounge, hugging her mother.

When they pulled away from each other, Marissa laughed softly and said, "Hi Mom."

Julie managed to smile a little and pulled her daughter into another hug.

Kaitlin smiled at her mother and sister's reunion, but thought to herself, _That's it, now that Marissa's back I'm going to turn back into the invisible daughter. _Over the last 10 years, Kaitlin and Julie had developed a strong mother-daughter relationship that they didn't have before, and as bad as it made Kaitlin feel, she knew it was because Marissa wasn't around to distract her mother anymore with her dramas and rebellious ways.

Kaitlin suddenly realized that Marissa was no longer hugging Julie, and now had her arms open in front of her, waiting for Kaitlin to iniciate a hug. Marissa smiled, "Aren't you gonna give me a hug?"

"Of course," Kaitlin forced a smile, hugging her sister. When they broke the hug, they stood there for a moment, kind of awkwardly. "I've missed you," Kaitlin lied.

"I missed you too," she replied.

"I still don't understand," Julie spoke up, wiping her eyes. "Where have you been all this time sweetie?" Taylor went over to Julie and handed her some tissues. She smiled greatfully, "Thanks Taylor," then returned her attention back to Marissa.

"I've been with Dad, in Hawaii," she replied.

"You've been with your FATHER!" Julie exclaimed.

"Please don't get mad at him, this was all my idea. I swear," she replied.

"Marissa, that man led me to believe our daughter was dead for 10 years!" Julie yelled. "He came to your funeral and he said nothing! He watched me cry for weeks on end and he said nothing! He watched as our whole family was torn apart and he...said...nothing!" Marissa gave her mother a sympathetic look and started to reply, but Julie continued, "As far as I'm concerned, he did the wrong thing and I'm going to let him know it!" She got out her cellphone from her handbag, "I'm calling Jimmy right now and telling him to get his ass on the next flight over here! He has some explaining to do."

"Mom!" Marissa protested.

"Are you sure that's such a good thing to do Julie?" Ryan chimed in. "Taking your anger out on Jimmy isn't going to change what happened."

"So you expect me to let him get away with it Ryan?" she questioned. "We both suffered so much after Marissa died- or faked her own death, whatever, and Jimmy just sat back and let it happen."

"What are you going to do Julie? Yell at him?" Kirsten asked. "That's not going to solve anything. If you get Jimmy to come here, then you talk about this as civilized adults."

"Don't make the situation worse than it already is," Sandy added.

"Okay, fine!" Julie gave in. "But I get to yell at him a little."

"Damn, I was looking forward to the Julie vs. Jimmy showdown," Seth remarked with a smirk.

"Cohen," Summer warned.

"What? It would be entertaining," he replied.

"You're on such thin ice at the moment," she glared at him. "Thin ice," Summer repeated for added emphasis.

Marissa laughed, "I've missed this."

"You mean, Summer yelling at me 24/7?" Seth questioned. "I know it may be entertaining for you, but not so much for me."

"I mean, everything," she replied. "I didn't realise how much I missed all of you when I was in Hawaii."

"Well the main thing is that you're home now," Julie smiled. "We've got a lot of catching up to do."

Marissa smiled at her mother, greatful that she wasn't too mad at her. Marissa looked around at her family and felt very lucky. She sighed happily and started chatting away with everyone, getting filled in on everything that had happened over the last 10 years. Marissa was almost completely happy with the way everything had turned out. The only thing left that would make her life complete was Ryan, her one and only true love. _We'll see, _Marissa thought to herself, hoping that Ryan would finally come to his senses about Taylor so she and Ryan could have a second chance- or a third chance, or fourth- Marissa had lost count, but what she wanted most was Ryan and she was going to fight to win him back.

Taylor suddenly began to feel uncomfortable, uncomfortable in her own living room with her own family. That's what Marissa did to her, she brought up all of Taylor's insecurities and worries that she had about herself and Ryan's relationship, as well as her relationship with everyone else. _Maybe there just isn't enough room for both me and Marissa in this family, _she thought to herself, _I guess I'll have to do something about that. _Taylor wasn't going to let Marissa destroy her marriage and her life, which she was certain was what Marissa was going to attempt to do. _If Marissa wants a fight, she's going to get it._

* * *

**Please review!**


	4. The Aftermath

**Here's the next chapter after a really, really long time. I thought that some people were a little too accepting of Marissa's return in the last chapter so I hope I've made up for that with this chapter. As for whether this is a Ryan/Taylor or a Ryan/Marissa story, I'm not too sure yet, but it will probably be a bit of both. Anyway, please review and tell me what you think. :D**

* * *

Later that night, after everyone had gone home, Ryan and Taylor were sitting in the living room of their house. They were quiet, both thinking about the day's events.

"Are you hungry?" Taylor asked, breaking the silence. "I could make something."

Ryan shook his head, "No, I'm fine." He looked at her, "Unless you are."

Taylor shook her head, "No."

"Oh, okay." he replied. "Are you okay Taylor?"

She looked up at him, "Yeah, fine. This is just a really weird situation. It's not everyday that people come back from the dead you know." Ryan smiled, causing Taylor to smile as well. "How about you? What's going on in that head of yours?"

Ryan sighed, then looked to his wife with a smile, "I hardly ever talk about my feelings, you know that," he joked.

"Ryan," Taylor said seriously, taking his hand in her own.

"I'm just...confused...and angry," he started. "I just don't know what I'm supposed to do now. Should I try to be friends with Marissa? Should I avoid her and only talk to her when politely saying hello at family events...?"

"Well you have to talk to her sometime," Taylor pointed out. "Afterall, she is technically your step-sister."

Ryan made a face, "Wow, I didn't even think of that. How weird is that?"

"Tell me about it," Taylor commented. Suddenly Ryan's phone began to ring on the coffee table. They both looked at it, and Ryan reached over and grabbed it. "Who is it?" Taylor asked.

He looked at the caller id and saw a number he didn't recognise, "I don't know." He put the phone to his ear, "Hello?"

"Hey Ryan," a female voice said.

"Who's this?" he asked.

"It's Marissa," she replied. "I can't believe you didn't recognise my voice. Sorry if I'm intruding but I got your number off my mom and-"

Ryan sighed, "You can't do this Marissa." Taylor became concerned when she heard Marissa's name.

"Do what?"

"Act like nothing happened," he said. "Things have changed since Newport. I've grown up, I have a family now and they need me. I can't be the one that saves you anymore."

"Ryan, I don't want anything from you," Marissa interrupted. "I understand that everything's different now, but I really think we need to talk about things. We can't just leave it how it is."

"I know, but I can't do that right now," he replied. "I need time, okay?" And with that, he hung up and set his phone back down on the coffee table.

"Are you alright" Taylor asked, placing her hand on his shoulder.

"I'm fine," Ryan replied, taking her hand off his shoulder and taking it into his own. "Let's go to bed, okay?"

"It's eight o'clock," she pointed out.

"Oh, well let's just do something, I've got to get out of here," he said, getting up off the couch and pulling Taylor up with him.

"Have you forgotten that our child is asleep upstairs?"

"We'll bring her with us, obviously," Ryan replied. "Why don't we go sit on the beach? You know, like we used to when we first got married."

"When we first got married we didn't have an eight month old baby that needs her sleep," Taylor said with a smile. "Look, why don't we order take-out and watch a movie? I know you're hungry even though you say you're not." Ryan looked disappointed. "Come on, I'll let you pick the movie."

"Fine," he gave in. "But only because I want to get you back for making me watch _Titanic_ 20 times."

"You cry every time, don't try to hide it," she said, poking him playfully. "Go pick a movie, I'll get the take-out menus okay?"

Ryan nodded. As Taylor left the room he made his way over to their massive DVD collection. He was on a mission to find the most gruesome movie they owned to make up for all those nights he had to sit through _Titanic_. Ryan finally found the movie he was looking for when he heard Taylor call from the kitchen, "Don't you dare pick one of the _Saw_ movies!"

He sighed and put back the _Saw VI _DVD. She knew him way too well.

* * *

Marissa sighed when she heard the dial tone, indicating that Ryan had hung up on her. "How did it go?" a voice asked. Marissa looked up to see Julie standing in the doorway. She had decided to stay at her mother's house for the night. "Not well."

"What did he say?"

"He said that he needs time," Marissa admitted.

"That's what I told you," she replied, sitting down next to her daughter on the couch.

"I know, don't do the 'I-told-you-so' thing," she rolled her eyes.

"Well you need to understand that you can't just pretend to be dead and come back like nothing's changed," Julie explained. "I mean, everything's changed Marissa! As much as I love you and how grateful I am that you're alive, you have still caused so much pain in so many people's lives."

"Don't you think I know that? I would take it all back if I could," Marissa argued. "Ryan and I could have ended up together, I could have had a better relationship with Kaitlin, I could have been there for Summer when she needed me...everything could have been different...better."

"There's no point regretting your decision, it's all in the past now," Julie said, putting an arm around her daughter to comfort her. "All you can do now is try your hardest and hope that people forgive you."

Marissa looked at her mother in confusion, "When did you become so wise?"

"Like I said, everything's changed," she retorted with a smile. "Did I tell you I went to college?"

"You did?"

"Yep," Julie nodded proudly. "You're looking at a college graduate."

"I'm so proud of you Mom," Marissa gushed, hugging her. "Now, do you want to tell me how you and Ryan's father got together?"

"It's a really long story," she nodded.

"But a good one," Frank added. The two women looked over to see him standing in the doorway. "Well, mostly anyway."

"Yes is it," Julie smiled.

"I didn't mean to interrupt, but I'm going to go pick up Sam from his friend's place," he explained.

"Why? I thought he was staying over."

"He was, but he just called me and said that he and Aaron got into a fight and now he wants to come home."

"Oh no," Julie commented. "I hope the fight wasn't too serious, they're such good friends."

"It can't be that serious, they're 8 years old," Frank retorted. Marissa laughed. Ryan's father didn't seem too bad. From what Ryan had told her, she was expecting him to be a monster. _People change, I guess,_ Marissa thought to herself. "I'll be back soon."

"Okay," Julie replied. She turned back to her daughter, "This is good, you can meet your brother."

"I'm looking forward to it," Marissa nodded. She paused for a moment. "Mom?" Julie looked at her. "I'm so sorry for everything I've put you through. I take full responsibility for it. I don't want you blaming all this on Dad when he comes here in a couple of days."

"I forgive you Marissa, and I forgive your father too," she replied. "But I'm still not happy with him. He was the adult, he could have made you see reason. And even if he couldn't, he could've told me about it and I would have done something."

"He was just doing what I wanted-"

"Well what you want is not always the right thing to do Marissa," Julie said, abruptly standing up from the couch. "I have things to do," she said, before turning and storming out of the room.

Marissa sighed. Clearly, Julie hadn't completely forgiven her afterall. _Not that I blame her,_ Marissa thought. She knew that if the situation were reversed, that she would not even consider forgiving her mother for a long time. And then, there was Kaitlin. Her not-so-baby sister. Marissa took out her cellphone, and found Kaitlin's number that she had gotten off Julie. She pressed call, and put the phone to her ear. "Hello?" Kaitlin answered with a sigh.

"Kaitlin, it's me."

"Who's me?" she asked in an irritated tone.

"Marissa. Your sister?" she replied. "No one recognises my voice on the phone anymore."

"Well when you pretend to be dead for 10 years, that tends to happen," Kaitlin retorted.

Marissa winced, "Okay, I deserved that." She took a deep breath. "Can we talk?"

"I have nothing to say to you."

"Kaitlin-"

"Just-just don't okay," she cut her off. "I don't want to speak to you right now. Don't call me back." And with that, she hung up.

Marissa sighed. She had been hung up on twice and stormed out on once in the span of 20 minutes. Marissa decided to put the discussions on hold for the night.

* * *

"Bed time Lucy," Summer said sternly, standing up from where she was sitting at the kitchen table with Seth. "I'm serious this time." Lucy had been getting out of her bed every 5 minutes for the last half hour.

The toddler pouted, "Stay up late?"

"No honey, it's already past your bedtime," she replied. Lucy continued to pout.

"Come on kiddo," Seth said, picking up his daughter and putting her over his shoulder. Lucy squealed. "It's time for bed."

"Seth," Summer warned. "Don't hype her up like that, she'll never go to bed at this rate."

He moved her off of his shoulder and back into his arms, "Mommy always ruins our fun, doesn't she Luce?"

Lucy nodded enthusiastically, "Always," she repeated.

"You can have fun in the morning," she said, glaring at Seth. "Right now you need to get upstairs to your bed and Mommy and Daddy need to have a talk okay?"

"Okay Mama," she gave in.

"Good girl," Summer smiled, kissing her daughter on the cheek. "I love you."

"Wuv you Mama," Lucy smiled, blowing her a kiss.

"We'll talk after I put this one in bed," Seth told his wife. She nodded, and watched them leave the room.

Summer sighed, and sat back down at the table to drink her tea. It had been a very confusing day. Her former best friend had basically come back from the dead. Not that you could even say that since she was never really dead. Summer had been so excited to see Marissa that she hadn't really expressed the anger she felt towards her. She went through so much after Marissa's 'death', and knowing that all the pain she had felt was for nothing was reallly killing Summer. That pain nearly broke her and Seth up all those years ago. Fortunately, Summer was able to tell him how she was feeling and they were able to move past that. She just felt so...cheated.

"Okay, so I tied down the kid. She won't be bothering us anymore," Seth joked as he came back into the kitchen. Summer managed a small smile. "I should quit it with the jokes shouldn't I?"

"Yes, please."

"Sorry," Seth said, sitting down beside her. He kissed her on the cheek and put his arm around her to let her know that he was there for her. "What's on your mind?"

Summer looked at him in disbelief, "Oh I'm just trying to decide what outfit I'm going to wear tomorrow- what do you think is on my mind?!" She didn't mean for that to come out so harsh and immediately regretted it when she saw Seth's shocked face. "I'm sorry Seth. It's just everything that's happened today, plus the hormones. It's making me a little crazy."

"It's alright, I understand," He nodded, before asking cautiously. "So have you forgiven Marissa?"

"No. Well not officially anyway," she replied. "I mean, I get why she did all of this, but couldn't she have just cut everyone out of her life without us thinking she was dead?"

"She probably knew that no one would let her do that," Seth said, carefully deciding on his choice of words, not wanting to make his wife angry again. "For some reason she thought that she was a problem and everyone would be a lot better off without her."

"That's not true. I mean, she did bring drama, but there was and still is drama in all of our lives," Summer stated. "We never resented her for it."

"I know that, but I don't think she does."

Summer thought about what Seth had just said and it really made her sad. Her friend really though that she was a burden on everyone. As angry and upset she was, Summer felt sorry for Marissa. They really needed to talk some time in the near future.

* * *

**I wrote this really quickly so I don't know how good it is, but review anyway. I'd love to hear what you think.**


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